Unusual Christmas Eve vote symbolic in ongoing debate
WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats passed a landmark health care bill early Thursday morning that could define President Barack Obama’s legacy and usher in near-universal medical coverage for the first time in U.S. history.
Ahead lie complex talks with the House to reach final legislation in the new year.
Just before the vote Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said “We stand on the doorstep of history. We recognize that, but much more importantly, we stand so close to making so many individual lives better.”
The vote Thursday on the bill extending health care coverage to some 31 million uninsured Americans brings Obama’s closer to achieving his top domestic priority. The White House and Congress have now come farther toward the goal of a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. health care system than any of their predecessors.
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remain so humble in the face of his own indubitably megalomaniacal fabulist awesomeness?
We’ll be needing a statue of him soon…
After that title, I think the The Onion wants to hire you. 😉
on the day before Christmas. Wow! Nothing left to do but stop filing IRS returns.
eggstatic this am. On Squak, an English chap was talking about the massive drain of entitlements. Uh uh. I havent’ seen such happiness in a long time. This is not good. Not good for me at any rate – somehow I’ll get screwed out of my small portfolio – I have no doubt of that.
However, I should watch or read the speech so I am informed properly. They mentioned Medicare panels – I’ll check that out.
everyone who is optimistic about the bill says funds will be cut from the Advantage plans – those plans wherein taxpayer pays insurance company which offers more to its recipients. This came about private companies failed to come through and were losing money so the Medicare stepped in. For instance, some of the women in my exercise group at Curves have their fees paid by their insurance company – reimbursed by Medicare. Here’s the thing: Are insurance companies going to allow these cuts in exchange for their new font of customers. Or, will the cuts be in ordinary Medicare – The panels may drain some of the Congress’ power. Who names these panelists – this is very telling – who will sit on the panels.
I have ordinary Medicare – it’s fine. Though I note that doctors are charging me more than they used to IN ADDITION to Medicare and my ever expensive Supplemental Blue Cross. If they are cutting doctors’ fees even more – doctors will push back and (a) not take any further Medicare patients and/or (b) charge Medicare patients more – for myself it’s about little less than half Medicare and the rest myself and the supplemental. Also, I take the cheapest generic Medicare D (pharma) – but I’m young in the medicare population and so far only need one drug. The defeat of Sen. Dorgan’s bill is shameful – shameful. Plus it appears the noise machine is marginalizing congressional individuals like Sen. Dorgan and for instance, Rep. DiFazio. DiFazio especially is a good liberal.
Sen. Sanders’ bill covered education for more doctors, I believe, as well as clinics. This seems so sensible.
UHC or bust. I didn’t vote for obama or the dems so that they could give more handouts to corporate monopolies. I didn’t vote for a fucking Mitt Romney bullshit mandate. If anyone thinks this is the end all be all, they got another thing coming.
It’s either UHC or bust!